Traction Pillow System

ABSTRACT

A neck traction device is designed to provide gentle neck tensioning stress with the body in a resting, horizontal position. The device includes a wedge-shaped head pillow angled away from the torso whereby the angle of the wedge promotes force of the head away from the body, promoting neck tension. The device also includes a wedge-shaped body pillow, positioned to properly align the head and spine in all resting positions, and to relieve shoulder compression for side resting positions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates most generally to the field of human healthcare. In particular, the present invention seeks to unload cervical compression through advantageous use of shaped pillows, employed for head and torso support during rest in any horizontal position.

2. Prior Art

Chronic neck pain of varying degrees is prevalent worldwide. Office workers suffer at a higher rate. Smart phone users, who often gaze downward at their phone screens, are frequent sufferers.

The Epidemiology of Neck Pain, D G Hoy, M Protani, R De, R Buchbinder, Best Practice & Research: Clinical Rheumatology, 2010 December; 24(6):783-92.

On the web: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21665126/

Association between excessive smartphone use and cervical disc degeneration in young patients suffering from chronic neck pain, Linbo Zhuang, Lisheng Wang, Dongming Xu, Zhiyong Wang, Renzheng Liang, Journal of Orthopaedic Science, 2021 January; 26(1):110-115.

On the web: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32205018/

Given the amount of time that people typically spend sleeping, it makes sense to provide relief of stress by employing advantageous but simple means during sleep or rest. To date, hundreds of pillow designs have sought to achieve this goal. Only a few of the many pillow designs fulfill the requirement of neck tension relief using simple design.

Barcalo, U.S. Pat. No. 1,890,358, Pillow or Cushion (December 1932) shows a triangular or wedge-shaped pillow not specifically designed to relieve neck stress. It claims filling with soft, pliable, elastic material, but does not anticipate the need for shear.

Andrei, U.S. Pat. No. 6,202,232, Pillow (March 2001) fully anticipates the necessity of an angled head surface to create neck tension. Andrei extends the thickened lobes around the edge of a pillow, mimicking the design that Tempur-Pedic® has been selling since 1992.

Some pillows resort to clever internal structures to induce neck stress in the proper direction. Poths, U.S. Pat. No. 5,519,907 Device for Relaxing the Skeletal Muscle System, In Particular for the Neck and Lumbar Vertebrae (May 1996), is one such device.

Others, like Olson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,644,809, Cervical Pillow (July 1997), simply modify the original Tempur-Pedic® pillow design with various cutouts.

Yu, US2008/0109961, Triangular Pillow (May 2008), employs a triangular head pillow. Although the shape of this pillow is well-suited for providing neck tension while side sleeping, this pillow is not suitable for proper spine alignment when back sleeping. As with all single pillows, Yu's design forces the cervical spine to curve forward while back sleeping or backward while front sleeping.

Likewise, Parimuha, U.S. Pat. No. 7,089,615, Ergonomic Wedge Pillow, (August 2006) FIG. 8A, shows a triangular pillow for creating neck tension for side positions only. As with Yu's Triangular Pillow, this pillow has no provisions for proper spine alignment or relief of higher shoulder forces while side sleeping.

Chisari, U.S. Pat. No. 7,017,213, Stomach Sleeper (March 2006) shows two wedge pillows employed parallel to the body, arranged to prevent neck twisting. The design is unsuitable to address neck tension.

Another characteristic of pillows in general is the creation of force causing neck compression. FIGS. 1A, B show the distribution of force for a typical pillow as well as for a contoured pillow like the Tempur-Pedic®, shown in FIG. 1C. A standard pillow and a cube pillow have more force at the top of the head than a Tempur-Pedic® type pillow. Due to its contour, a Tempur-Pedic® offers some offsetting force near the neck and jaw, but not enough offset to completely negate neck compression when side sleeping.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to create a pillow system contour that facilitates gentle neck and cervical tension while reclined.

A secondary objective is to provide a surface that generates neck tension in any horizontal resting position: side, back, or front.

A third objective is to substantially relieve shoulder pressure in either side rest position, left or right.

Yet another objective is to have a upward-facing resting surface which promotes straight spine alignment in any reclined position, front, back, left or right side.

The present invention is a pillow system comprised of two triangular pillows: a head pillow and a body pillow. The head pillow is a triangular pillow whose inclined upper surface creates support forces directing the head away from the torso, causing gentle neck tension. A second, thinner, triangular pillow is positioned under the torso, with a small gap to the head pillow to allow room for a shoulder and arm. When paired together, the head pillow and body pillow permit a user to experience gentle neck tension and a straight spine in any sleeping position: side, back, or face up.

When back resting, the user's body covers the pillow system's gap without feeling the gap. Side rest requires the gap for proper shoulder comfort. During stomach rest, use of the gap for arm positioning is optional.

A primary embodiment of the head pillow is a right triangle cross section with a base leg, a vertical leg, and a hypotenuse. The included angle of the right triangle is nominally 30 degrees but can vary between 10 and 45 degrees. Pillow length is sufficient to permit a person to roll from one side to the other without rolling off. A length of 50.8 cm (20 inches) would be typical, though it might vary easily between 25.4 and 76.2 cm (10 and 30 inches).

In its preferred embodiment, the body pillow has a shallow isosceles triangle cross section. The thick base end of the triangle is adjacent to the head pillow and the apex is opposite the head pillow. The thickness of the body pillow is approximately equal to the protrusion distance of the shoulder from the side rib cage. Since the pillow is isosceles, it can be positioned with either side up if the thick end is positioned proximal to the head pillow. Body pillow length will be the same as the head pillow.

In their preferred embodiment, the head and body pillows are constructed from viscoelastic polyurethane memory foam, with a typical density range of 70 to 100 kg/m³ (4.4 to 6.2 lb/ft³). Other foams will work as well. Said foam is covered with one or more layers to form a pillow cover. Pillow covers will typically have a zippered opening so that the cover can be washed. Each pillow can further be covered with a pillowcase.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is a combination of head and body pillow, sized for the user so that the shoulder gap is comfortable. Large users will need a larger pillow; small users will use a smaller pillow.

Tension is created in the neck by the head pillow due to the angled contact surface, which comports both a vertical supporting force as well as a horizontal tensioning force. In addition, the thick end of the pillow contacts the jaw line, or proximal area, with maximum force. As the pillow tapers away toward the top of the head, less and less force is conveyed to support the head. Consequently, the head attempts to rotate about the contact line along the thickest pillow portion. Said rotation causes tension in the neck. Only a slight angle of rotation is needed to create neck tension, so the head remains substantially horizontal and in line with the spine.

Another feature of the head pillow is its ability to convey shear force to the head, and thus the neck, by advantageous shear deformation of the foam construction material. In use, a person can grab the top surface and pull it towards the body. The internal foam of the pillow will deform in shear and impart a force to the head determined by the amount of shear deformation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A—Force distributions of a conventional pillow, back resting position

FIG. 1B—Force distribution of a conventional pillow, side resting position

FIG. 1C—Force distribution of a Tempur-Pedic® pillow

FIG. 2 —Detailed view of wedge pillow system

FIG. 3A—Wedge pillow system, preferred embodiment

FIG. 3B—Wedge pillow system, shallower head pillow angle

FIG. 3C—Wedge pillow system, steeper head angle

FIG. 4 —Head pillow showing force distributions

FIG. 5A—Wedge pillow system, side resting position

FIG. 5B—Wedge pillow system, back resting position

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A traditional pillow, shown in FIG. 1A, (101) supports the head (102) during rest by providing upward reaction forces to the head's contours (103, 104). Support forces are generally normal to their contact surfaces. From FIG. 1A we observe that forces are not all parallel. Forces near the top of the head (103) have a horizontal element because the pillow material pushes back normal to the contact surface, toward the spine. Forces near the middle of the head (104) are substantially upward with little horizontal component. In a static system such as a head resting on a pillow, all forces must balance. Horizontal forces generated by head contact (103) must be balanced by neck forces (105) thus putting the neck into compression. Further, any pillow that lifts the head when the user is on their back must tip the head upward. A head tipped upward generates both a bend and stress at the neck (106) which may cause discomfort in some users. The Triangular Pillow, US2008/0109961, mentioned above, will generate these potentially uncomfortable neck issues in the back-down position.

FIG. 1B shows a conventional pillow (101) with the head (102) and torso (107) in a side position. Beginning at the jaw line, forces are generally vertical. But again, forces near the top of the head (108) have a horizontal element that push the head back toward the body. Horizontal component forces near the top of the head create compression in the neck (111). Additional support forces (109) are substantially vertical with no side component. The edge of the pillow near the jaw may generate forces (110) that are mainly vertical but have a slight horizontal component to offset the horizontal force component near the head. These offsetting forces are one reason that people bunch their pillows under their neck and jaw. A final note is that a side position with a conventional pillow puts the downward shoulder (112) in a support position adjacent to both the pillow (101) and the torso (107). Since the shoulder sticks downward more than the torso, it experiences more force than the torso.

No pillow discussion is complete without mentioning the Tempur-Pedic® contour pillow, shown schematically in FIG. 1C (113). In this figure, the head (102) rests on a contoured surface (114) that provides a minimum top head force (115) and an enhanced counter force (116) due to its curvature. As a result, neck forces (117) compressing the neck (118) are reduced.

To sum, a conventional pillow and to some extent the contoured pillow induce support forces toward the top of the head that creates neck compression. Observe that a traditional pillow and even a specially contoured pillow do not address induced cervical spine curvature in back-down or face-up positions. Neither does a traditional pillow address shoulder force that is higher than torso force for side positions. Even pillows that claim to be designed for side sleeping do not alleviate the excess force felt by the shoulder because the shoulder has a wider profile than the torso. For a person on their side, the shoulder pushes down further into the mattress and experiences higher force.

The proposed pillow system invention shown in FIG. 2 addresses these shortcomings. FIG. 2 shows a head pillow (201) adjacent to a body pillow (202). Together, these pillows create a resting surface whose combined upward contour generally matches the downward profile of the human body. Both head and body pillow are generally triangles; in use they are placed adjacent to one another with their wide ends (203, 204) proximal and pointed ends (205, 206) distal. Typically, a small gap (207) is placed between them, though this gap is not necessary for back and front rest positions.

The head pillow (201) is angled so that the narrow portion of the wedge (205) is near the top of the head and the thick end (203) is near the jaw or neck. The body pillow (202) is positioned with the narrow portion (206) more towards the waist and the thick portion (204) near the body pillow, thus allowing a gentle and comfortable height transition in support of the torso.

The resting surface of the head pillow (208) is inclined away from the body pillow. 30 degrees is the preferred included angle of the head pillow (209), but this may be adjusted to suit the user's needs. The angle may vary from zero degrees, or flat, to 45 degrees, with consequent neck tension decreased or increased. Pillow width, corresponding to the base leg, is typically 25.4 cm (10 in). Pillow length is typically 61 cm (24 inches) but can vary according to user preference.

The body pillow lifts the body slightly to provide shoulder relief and to keep the spine straight in all sleeping positions. Height of body lift is determined by the nominally vertical leg (210) minus foam compression. Body pillow angle is not critical, but must taper to a reasonably small, end (211) so that it comfortably transitions into the supporting surface.

To permit a sufficiently sloped head pillow angle without the pillow running out of material, the nominal right triangle of the pillow optionally includes a lift zone (212). Said lift zone is enough to create a total vertical leg (213) high enough to both support the head and keep the spine aligned.

The head pillow is generally a 30-degree right triangle with a base leg (214) of 25.4 cm (10 inches) and height of 14.7 cm (5.8 inches). It is thickened at the base by a 2.5 cm (1 inch) lift zone (212) to add to overall height, said thickening reflected by a flat tailing surface (215). Edges may be rounded or left sharp.

In the preferred embodiment of FIG. 3A the head pillow (301), adjacent to the body pillow (302) treats the edges accordingly: the edge contacting the head (303) is rounded to a radius of 5.1 cm (2 inches), the bottom edge near the gap (304) is a 2.5 cm (1 inch) radius, the top edge near the narrow end (305) is a 2.5 cm (1 inch) radius, and the bottom edge near the rear (306) may be sharp. Side edges may be sharp or slightly rounded.

The body pillow (302) is substantially an isosceles triangle positioned with its thick end near the head pillow. Its symmetry permits it to be flipped over with equal function, but again with the thick end towards the head pillow. Gap between the pillow (306) is determined by user preference but typically ranges from 5.1 to 10.2 cm (2 to 4 inches).

Head pillow function is maintained even when varying the proscribed dimensions. Included angle may vary between 45 and 0 degrees. Height may vary between 5.1-20.3 cm (3-8 inches). Depth may vary from 12.7-40.6 cm (5 to 16 inches). Length may vary from 25.4-10.6 cm (10 to 40 inches), or more. The right angle is shown in its preferred embodiment of 90 degrees but may also vary by +/−15 degrees.

FIGS. 3B and 3C depict alternative embodiments of the invention. FIG. 3B shows a shallower head angle (307) and a height that is closer to that of the body pillow (308). FIG. 3C shows an even steeper head pillow angle (309) with a vertical face (310) that leans slightly toward the body pillow (311).

In the preferred embodiment, pillow material is viscoelastic polyurethane foam. Construction is typically monolithic but may also be in layers, single or multiple, with materials varying in hardness. Layers may be as arranged as a core with wrapped outer layers, or in a flat stacked manner

We see in detail how the wedge-shaped head pillow creates neck tension in FIG. 4 . The wedge pillow (401) supports the head (402), with more of the weight supported at the thick end of the pillow (403). If we depict support point (403) as the main support zone, we observe that force normal to the support surface (404) may be broken down into a horizontal element, F1 (405) and a vertical element, F2 (406). The vertical force element supports the head against gravity, and the balancing horizontal element, F3 (407) contributes to tension in the neck (408). Further, the center of mass of the head (409) creates a moment about the nominal contact point (403) because the head is cantilevered about said support. For static equilibrium, downward force of the head, F4 (410) times D1 (411) is equal to neck tension due to the head moment, F3 (407) times D2 (412).

To maintain static equilibrium of the head on the pillow, both the sum of X/Y forces and the sum of moments must be zero, or:

Σ(X forces): F1+F3=0

Σ(Y forces): F2+F4=0

ΣMoments: (F4×D1)+(F3×D2)=0

FIG. 5A describes the support elements of the pillow system when side sleeping. For side sleeping, the head (501) is supported by the head pillow (502) as described previously, creating gentle tension on the neck (503). Head support force (504) is generally away from the neck. With the body pillow (505) creating a stress relief gap for the shoulder (506), shoulder force (507) is reduced so that it is on the order of the same level as body support forces (508, 509). In addition, the body support pillow ensures a straight and aligned spine (510).

In FIG. 5B we see the pillow system supporting a supine position. The head (511) is supported substantially as previously described, with head support forces (512) creating gentle tension on the neck (513). The gap between head and body pillow (514) is easily bridged and the spine (515) is again straight and fully supported by evenly distributed support forces (516).

Although the described pillow system is passive, it is nonetheless performing several simultaneous functions in service of comfort and stress relief:

-   -   The angle of the head pillow draws the head away from the body,         gently stretching the neck     -   The foam material of the head pillow can be deformed in shear by         pulling the top surface towards the body, causing yet increased         neck tension     -   With the torso lifted, the head is well aligned with the torso,         and the neck and cervical spine are straight, in all sleeping         positions     -   Spacing between the body pillow and head pillow permits shoulder         relief when the user is side positioned

The gap between head and body pillow is imperceptibly overlain with no ill effects when the user is resting on their back or front.

Variations in material height for the pillow pair may accommodate various body sizes. Foam hardness may be varied as well to suit the preference of the user.

Both head and body pillows are preferably covered with a protective material, said cover material may be zippered or seamed to allow removal and cleaning. Covers may also be of multiple layers performing different functions such as moisture control and thermal regulation. In typical use, a pillow assembly of wedged foam with cover would be placed inside a pillowcase for final use.

REFERENCES CITED US Utility Patents

1,890,535 March 1932 Barcalo 2,877,472 March 1959 Wagner 5/337 3,400,413 September 1968 La Grossa 5/338 4,218,792 August 1980 Kogan 5/436 4,899,405 February 1990 Rothbard 5/434; 5/436 4,903,690 February 1990 Campbell 128/78, 5/434 5,018,231 May 1991 Wang 5/436 5,138,732 August 1992 Wattie, Wattie 5/636 5,237,714 August 1993 Baron 5/636 5,519,907 May 1995 Poths 5/636 5,644,809 July 1997 Olson 5/636 6,079,066 June 2000 Backlund 5/636 6,202,232 March 2001 Andrei 5/636 6,381,784 May 2002 Davis, Arcieri 5/636 7,017,213 March 2006 Chisari 5/632 7,089,615 August 2006 Parimuha 5/636 7,437,788 October 2008 Holman 5/636 7,461,424 December 2008 Lindell 5/636-640 7,546,651 June 2009 Groteke, et al. 5/636 7,886,382 February 2011 Funatogawa 5/636 8,015,640 September 2011 Sun 5/640, 636 8,806,684 August 2014 Ortega, Wade 5/636 9,468,319 October 2016 Wagner A47G 9/1063 10,376,079 August 2019 Jensen A47G 9/1081; A47G 2009/1018 10,582,784 March 2020 Biebl A47G 9/1081

US Design Patents

D308,311 June 1990 Forsland D6/601 D767,148 September 2016 Perreault D24/183, 184; D6/390 D833,628 November 2018 Davis D24/183 D845,035 April 2019 Raad, Najas D6/596, 597 D934,591 November 2021 Caudra D6/601 D456,660 May 2002 Landvik, et al. D6/595, 596

US Patent Applications

2008/0109961 May 2008 Yu 5/636 2009/0229055 September 2009 Kim 5/636 2011/0289689 December 2011 Mikkelsen, et al. 5/655.9 

1. A neck-traction pillow system for supporting a resting human body, said neck-traction system comprising: a head pillow and a body pillow; wherein said head pillow volume is defined by a right triangular area that defines the pillow volume as the area is swept through the width of the pillow, wherein the base leg of said triangular area is the base, the vertical leg of the triangle is the thick end of the pillow, and the included angle end of the pillow is the narrow end, with said thick end positioned under the base of the head and neck, and said narrow end positioned near the top of the head, said pillow volume positioned with its width transverse to the center spinal axis of the reclined user; wherein said head pillow integrates an optional base-shaped lifting volume to achieve optimal height; wherein said head pillow wedge angle is selected to pull the head away from the body by generating gentle neck tension; wherein said body pillow is a wedge-shaped volume formed by sweeping an isosceles triangular area to the full width of the pillow, said width generally matching the width of the head pillow, said body pillow with its thick end adjacent to the thick end of the head pillow and its thin end tapered down towards the midsection of the user's body, said body pillow providing a gentle transition from the mattress or support surface up from the thin end to the thick end; wherein said body pillow lifts the torso of the body to provide shoulder relief when the user is positioned on their side; wherein said body pillow is sufficiently thick at its thick end to ensure straight spinal alignment in all resting positions.
 2. A neck-traction pillow system of claim 1; wherein the head pillow included angle may vary between 45 and zero degrees, the nominal right angle may vary by +/−20 degrees, the overall height may vary from 2.54 to 25.4 cm (1 to 10 inches), the width may vary from 15 to 40.6 cm (6 to 16 inches), and the overall width may vary from 25.4 to 101.6 cm (10 to 40 inches); wherein the body pillow may be defined by the swept area of a right triangle as well as an isosceles triangle, said body pillow may be an overall height from 2.54 to 25.4 cm (1 to 10 inches), a width to facilitate comfortable transition to its height, 25 cm to 100 cm (9.8 to 39.4 inches), and a length to match the head pillow, 15 to 40.6 cm (6 to 16 inches).
 3. A neck traction pillow system of claim 1 composed from: viscoelastic polyurethane foam; polyurethane foam; latex foam; solid latex; feathers or down; batting material; horse hair; shredded foam; or any other suitable pillow fill material known to those skilled in the art of pillow fabrication.
 4. A neck traction system of claim 1 comprised of single blocks or multiple materials; wherein single block pillows may be cut from larger buns of foam; wherein single block pillows may be molded from foam; wherein multiple materials may be multiple layers of the same material but of different hardness or softness; wherein pillow construction may be layers of different suitable materials, such as a harder material on the inside wrapped by softer material on the outside.
 5. A neck traction system of claim 1, wherein the head pillow and the body pillow are separately covered with a relatively thin material layer or layers; wherein said cover layer is a fabric, weave, felt, or composite, said cover layer serving the purpose of protecting the core material, facilitating easy cleaning, providing for cooling or warming, providing for ventilation between the head and the core material, or providing a surface texture preferable to individual users; wherein said cover fabric has a zipper or opening for easy removal; wherein said cover layer is single or multi-layered; wherein said cover layer covers the entire pillow, or selectively covers a portion, such as the top surface. 